I get on a soapbox to give two speeches. The first speech is about personal finances. The second speech is about sunscreen. Today is the day that I get behind my podium and we have a heart-to-heart chat about everything sunscreen!

Can I have the short version?

Ugh, I guess.

The first thing you need to know is that SPF is not a linear measurement, ie SPF30 is not twice as effective as SPF15. It looks more like this:

So the recommendation is to use at least SPF30, but anything above SPF50 is only going to add marginal protection. In fact, in Europe, SPF50+ is the highest any sunscreen can be labeled.

There are two types of UV waves that do damage, and there’s a really easy way to remember them. UVA = Aging and UVB = Burning. I’m assuming you don’t want to age or burn, but here’s the kicker: SPF only measures protection against UVB! In the USA you need to seek a sunscreen that says “full spectrum” if you want UVA protection. You get no information about what level of UVA protection the sunscreen has. Fortunately, the rest of the world is ahead of the USA on this: in Europe they have the PPD scale for measuring UVA protection, and in Asia they use the PA scale. You’re going to have to keep reading to learn more about those.

And lastly, a “base tan” is not protecting you from the sun. All unprotected sun exposure contributes to your risk of skin cancer, hyperpigmentation (sun spots, freckles), wrinkles, and burns. Fun fact: melanin can add protection as high as SPF4, but black people can still get burned and should still use sunscreen!

What SPF doesn’t tell you

So now we know that SPF doesn’t tell us if there is any protection against UVA rays, which cause aging aka fine lines and wrinkles. Well, this wouldn’t truly be about EVERYTHING sunscreen if we only talked about what’s going on in the US, right?

PPD

In Europe, the PPD number is equivalent to SPF, except it’s for UVA. So you might see a sunscreen with SPF50 and PPD32. I’ve also heard this referred to as “UVAPF,” so you might see that term when looking for UVA protection.

Boots Star

This is another European rating based on the ratio of UVB to UVA protection. It’s a little complicated, but it’s not used too often – grab the full explanation here. According to the ratio of UVB to UVA protection, a product will be awarded stars as follows, and a 5 star product means it has UVA protection that is at least 90% of the advertised UVB protection.

PA+

In Asian countries, the PA system is used. This ranges from PA+ to PA++++. The highest rating (four pluses) is equivalent to PPD16, so this doesn’t adequately show products with high protection.

While we’re talking about Asian sunscreens, let’s talk about what else is different about them. First and foremost is cosmetic elegance, or skinfeel. They are vastly superior to anything American in this regard – some of them feel like light moisturizers, some of them feel like nothing at all! To me, this is the holy grail of sunscreens – I want to feel like there is nothing on my skin!

The down side of this is that these sunscreens are not the robust, waterproof, only-a-brillo-pad-can-remove-them sunscreens that you’ll find in the US. Instead, they are meant for “ambient” exposure, ie the type of UV exposure you might get from your commute or walking to lunch. They are generally not sufficient to protect you on a sunny hike, a day on the tennis courts, or a beach day. I am generalizing, you can certainly find Asian sunscreens that will fulfill those requirements, but your starting assumption should be that they are meant for light use.

Somewhat hilariously, they tend to have crazy long names. You’ll see new words like “milk,” “gel,” and “watery essence,” which are references to the textures of the sunscreens. I could write a whole second post on Asian sunscreen, so for now I’ll just say: do more research.

Why doesn’t the USA get with the program?

Wait until you hear what else the USA has got going on, because it gets worse!

The FDA has not approved a new sunscreen filter since I was in middle school. The last one was approved in 1999, and since then, the rest of the world has improved sunscreen technology and we’ve been stuck with ingredients that basically feel like putting kindergarten paste on your skin.

In fact, there are only two filters approved for use in the USA that block against UVA rays – zinc oxide and avobenzone. And personally, I’m not a fan of “physical” sunscreens (more on those in a bit!), and I don’t care for avobenzone in my sunscreens because it stings my eyes and turns my clothing yellow.

You can probably see where I’m going with this. I’m going to Europe and Asia for my sunscreen needs!

Chemical vs. Physical

You may have heard of chemical vs. physical sunscreens before. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are “physical” or “mineral” sunscreens (think those stereotypical white noses!), and “chemical” sunscreens include ingredients like avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, etc. You might have heard that “physical” sunscreens provide protection instantly, don’t absorb into the skin, don’t degrade in the sun, and don’t need reapplication, etc. These are myths! If you’d like to really dig into the nitty gritty of physical vs. chemical, here’s an excellent post on how they both work, which also dispels any myths around these two types of filters.

They both block UV rays adequately, I personally prefer chemical sunscreens as they tend to leave less white cast.

This is all too much. Just tell me what sunscreen you use!

Here’s the list of what we own, and why we own it.

Face Sunscreens

Goodal Mild Protect Fresh Sun Gel SPF50+/PA+++ – this is a Korean sunscreen that is no longer in production. It’s the best thing I’ve ever bought with my money, and I got 4 bottles. It feels like a light moisturizer, and it’s a surprisingly large bottle (most Asian sunscreens are 1.7oz). RIP Goodal Mild Protect, I wish I could buy more, although in a perfect world it would have more UVA protection.

Nivea Sun Protect Super Water Gel SPF50+/PA+++ – this is a Japanese sunscreen that I’ve tried in both SPF35 and SPF50. They both feel the same: like there is nothing on my skin! This has alcohol, which can be drying to certain skin types, and it has octinoxate, which is not reef-safe. Again, I wish it was PA++++.

Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF50+/PA++++ – I like this Japanese sunscreen a lot but the price point is a bit too high for me to make it a regular purchase. I keep it in my purse. It’s got a little shimmer to it, and reviewers regularly exclaim about how it makes a good makeup primer.

Biore UV Bright Face Milk SPF50+/PA++++ – this is a mattifying sunscreen that I bought to try out. It dries down to a powdery finish, which is quite nice, although it leaves a bit of a white cast. I don’t use this, although it’s probably near expiration so I should use it up.

Body Sunscreens

Altruist Dermatologist Sunscreen SPF30/5 boots stars – this is a European sunscreen that I bought because it’s reef-safe, it has high UVA protection (at least UVAPF27, per the boots system), and it comes in a 1L bottle. It is water resistant, so it’s good for non-swimming boat life. They make a SPF50 version, but I’ve heard the skinfeel isn’t as nice. I could only find the SPF30 when I was sunscreen shopping so this is what we got. This is my main body sunscreen, it feels more like a lotion than a tacky sunscreen so I don’t mind wearing it!

Equate Broad Spectrum Sport SPF50 – when it comes to waterproof sunscreen, I assume it’s going to feel like wearing glue so I’m looking for something cheap and functional. The great thing about this sunscreen is that it’s one of the few I found that is reef-safe, and it was $11 for an entire quart of sunscreen. I usually wore a one-piece bathing suit and leggings while swimming in the Bahamas because I hate scrubbing waterproof sunscreen off so much. If I’m going in the water, this is what’s on my exposed skin.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Broad Spectrum SPF55 – this has a high amount of oxybenzone so it is NOT reef safe. However, it seems they make an oxybenzone-free version now – make sure you read the ingredients before purchasing. I’m including this because it has a nice skinfeel and we used it before we moved aboard the boat. This travel-sized tube has survived because we keep emergency sunscreen everywhere – every vehicle, my camera bag, my purse, the dinghy, etc. I like this sunscreen but the kind we own is not good for boat life.

Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection SPF50 – I hate this stuff, it’s like smearing sticky white zinc onto my skin. We found it on sale, this is the stuff that’s usually in my camera bag. Plus, it’s safe for kiddos, and we regularly find ourselves sharing sunscreen so it’s nice to have something for everybody! Since it is a physical sunscreen, it is reef safe, and it’s waterproof.

You should think of this list as a starting point. Consider your needs, consider your skin type, and search accordingly. This is what I bought three years ago, so the sunscreens available in Asia and Europe have changed since then. For instance, I’m in the market for a new sunscreen now, and I’ve heard Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Gel SPF50+/PA++++ is basically the same thing as the Nivea Super Water Gel that I love so much, but with four pluses! (Update: I purchased Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Gel Pump as a main face sunscreen, and Kose Suncut Aqualy UV Protect Gel and Nivea Sun High Adherence Care UV Milky Gel (waterproof!) to try out. They all contain octinoxate. Now I get to wait 6 weeks until they arrive!)

And lastly, our biggest defense against the sun is avoidance: we stay in the shade when the sun is high in the sky, and and if we don’t have that option we both prefer UPF clothing rather than sunscreen. Our lightweight UV hoodies are the go-to item for boat passages! Sun protective clothing could be a whole post on its own as well.

Safety

For a while some sunscreen ingredients really got villainized as hormone disruptors. It’s important to get accurate information from good sources. For instance, the EWG is commonly known as a fear-mongering site, and I personally would not accept anything they say at face value (that doesn’t mean they’re wrong, it means I would try to find good peer-reviewed studies to back up any of their claims). They particularly went after oxybenzone, although it’s been calculated that in humans, you’d need to use oxybenzone sunscreen continuously for 277 years to cause a noticeable hormonal effect, so it’s considered safe. More information here!

That being said, I avoid oxybenzone and octinoxate in my sunscreens because they can be harmful to coral reefs, particularly when we lived on the boat and our wastewater went straight into the ocean! I think it’s very important to point out that coral is being killed mostly by other things (ocean acidification, global warming, etc), and sunscreen is more of a threat in major tourist areas where hundreds of sunscreened people are getting into the water daily. Here’s a great post on how sunscreen contributes and whether it’s really a big deal. If your wastewater is going to a wastewater treatment plant, it’s probably not a huge concern for you.

I would never trust a homemade sunscreen. There are lots of recipes available online, but without rigorous lab testing there’s no way to know what amount of protection they actually give. If you think “all natural, chemical free” sunscreen is the best choice for you, I’ve got news for you: everything is chemicals, and that doesn’t make them all bad. I have no patience for that kind of black and white approach. My skin is incredibly sensitive to the sun and I can’t risk using something untested. If homemade works for you, that’s your choice. It’s not for me. If you’re truly concerned about sunscreen ingredients, I would advise sun-protective clothing (Kyle and I both have UPF hoodies that we love) and practicing sun avoidance over a homemade concoction.

I’m kind of lax with food expiration dates, but I strictly adhere to sunscreen expiration. Never use an expired sunscreen! Usually they have the expiration date printed on the bottle, Asian sunscreens typically have the manufacture date and are good for 3 years post manufacture.

And lastly, never mix sunscreens! Some UV filters enhance each other, but others destabilize each other! This particularly comes in to play if you use a combination of facial moisturizer with SPF, and a sunscreen, and/or a makeup powder or bb cushion with sun protection. While we’re on the topic, it’s important to note that people rarely apply enough makeup to get the advertised SPF, so I would never rely on makeup or moisturizer for sun protection, I would strongly advise a dedicated sunscreen! Take a look at this post to see how much powder a typical person uses vs. how much they’d need to get the advertised SPF!

Conclusion

Avoid star damage, wear sunscreen.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.